Holy Cross leadership group meets at St. Ed’s in Austin, Tex.

Hoban’s student and faculty leaders remained hard at work over the summer. For five days in late June, eight students and two faculty members visited Austin, Tex., to attend the Holy Cross Youth Leadership Conference at St. Edward’s University. The conference, now in its ninth year, included participants from six Holy Cross schools across the country.

At the conference, the students learned about Holy Cross and personal leadership. Senior Andrew Gerbetz seemed content with what he learned at the conference.

“I learned what kind of leader I was,” he said.

Associate principal Kevin Hillery accompanied the students.

“We, in hopes of educating hearts and minds, brought presentations on how we lead at Hoban,” he said.

He also remarked that Hoban would probably attend the conference next year.

Those in attendance felt the conference was a success. This year Hoban’s student leaders will be better prepared to guide the Hoban community.

American history made more meaningful on Washington trip

The classroom came alive for 41 junior and senior American History students who traveled via charter bus to Washington, D.C., June 6-9.

The students stayed in dorms at the Catholic University of America, and celebrated Mass every morning at the Basilica of the Immaculate Conception on campus.

Immediately after checking into the dorms, the group made its way to the National Archives to see the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution, the Bill of Rights and multiple other treaties and legislative acts.

On Tuesday, the students visited the Smithsonian Museum to see, among other things, the Star-Spangled Banner. Most of the day, however, was spent “in memorial.” The group began at the white steps of the Lincoln Memorial, then continued to the fountains of the FDR memorial.

After a stop for Popsicles, the students proceeded to the Korean, Vietnam and World War II Memorials. Some students rubbed names at the granite wall of the Vietnam Memorial, and all were very solemn. The day was concluded with a trip to Arlington Cemetery and the Iwo Jima monument.

On Wednesday, the students got an in-depth look at both government and art. The day began with a guided tour of the Capitol by Ohio Rep. Sherrod Brown. The Capitol was senior Mike Voellmecke’s favorite part of the trip.

“Not only did we get to meet with our representative, but we actually got to go on the floor of the house and sit in the very seats as thousands of lawmakers have sat before,” he said.

Following the tour of the Capitol was a tour of the White House and a visit to the National Gallery of Art and the National Cathedral. Students then had a choice of either visiting the Museum of Natural History or a sculpture museum. The evening ended with a shopping trip to Union Station.

On Thursday, students packed up, visited the Holocaust Museum for several hours, then hopped back on board the bus for home.

Visitors admire beauty and history of Puerto Rico

While the rest of Hoban was relaxing after a long school year, the Spanish Club was still going strong as they hosted a trip to Puerto Rico. A group of 10 students and five adults took this enjoyable and educational trip June 6-12, making memories they won’t forget.

The group, which included seniors Ian Rice, Carmel Hannah and Darrah Matthews, junior Christine Markulis, sophomores Matt Kress, Eric Crutel, John Burkley and Nicole Conrad, and 2005 graduates Rachel Wolski and Julie Costello, visited many interesting and ethnic places in Puerto Rico. These included a walking tour of old San Juan, the nation’s capital, where they saw the capitol building and a lot of Spanish tradition. Also, the group enjoyed a trolley tour of Ponce, a hike in the rain forest Yunque, where they saw its amazing waterfalls and went kayaking and snorkeling in Phosphorescent Bay. The group also did a lot of shopping and sightseeing as they took a look around many museums and shops of Ponce. They learned the history of Puerto Rico and its ancestors by visiting Tibes, a ceremonial site dedicated to the ancient Indians of the country.

Senior Darrah Matthews seemed to have a great time.

“Snorkeling was my favorite part,” she said. “We had a lot of free time at night to walk around and go places. I had my birthday there, and [Spanish teacher Carol Frye] gave me a piece of cake in the morning.”

According to Spanish teacher Amy Zeller, the food in Puerto Rico was very good. She explained how the students enjoyed but later got tired of enpanadillas, a sort of deep fried hot pocket.

The people were said to be quite friendly. Most spoke Spanish and were willing to help the group if they did not understand something.

“The people were nice,” Conrad said. “A lot spoke Spanish and were hard to understand.”

It was a great experience for the participants, who now have a taste of what things are like outside the continental states.

“We had a great time,” Zeller said. “The kids were wonderful, and we had a blast.”

Conrad also had a good time and enjoyed socializing.

“It was really fun to meet and spend time with people at Hoban,” she said.

Pilgrims to St. Joseph’s Oratory learn Holy Cross traditions

Hot weather and Metro ticket mishaps were not enough to keep 12 Hoban pilgrims away from St. Joseph’s Oratory in Montréal, Canada.

Eight students accompanied by four faculty chaperones made their way across the border Aug. 1-6 to visit the tomb of Blessed Brother Andre Bessette and surrounding Montréal basilicas. They joined students from Holy Cross schools in New York, Texas and California to learn about Holy Cross history and tradition.

They were reminded frequently that they were “pilgrims, not tourists” and made the trip both prayerful and fun, even when a French speaking Metro worker refused to sell student tickets and made them use two tickets for one ride.

Campus minister Scott Kopp was impressed with the students’ mindset.

“They kept the focus throughout,” he said. “They showed patience and openness that isn’t always there on a vacation.”

With such a small group, the pilgrims were able to come together and share their faith easily. Junior Emily Muntean found the opportunity to get to know everyone on the trip.

“We were all there for the same reason,” she said, “so we were able to connect with each other.”

The most memorable part of the week for Muntean was the time she took with religion teacher Russ Kwitkowsi and senior Matt Mortier to pray on her knees at each of the 100 steps leading up to the oratory, a tradition practiced by many pilgrims that make their way to Montréal.

“We said an Our Father at every stair. There were a lot of parallels with Calvary,” she said, “like the pain from being on our knees and ascending the hill.”

By the end of the week, the pilgrims were reluctant to leave their newfound friends from across the country, but returned with a renewed faith and respect for the Congregation of Holy Cross.

Travelers to England and France tour historic and scenic sites

Twenty-six students and four faculty chaperones braved the long flight across the Atlantic in June. The students traveled to France, Britain and Normandy. They visited Buckingham Palace, Notre Dame Cathedral and the Beaches of Normany, among other locations. The trip allowed the students to travel to Europe with a group of their peers and experience many different cultures. While their stay was brief, the students were able to visit a great number of places.

In France, the students visited the Eiffel Tower. Senior Megan DalSanto was thrilled to have stopped there.

“Just being atop the Eiffel Tower was an amazing experience,” she said.

DalSanto recommended that other students take advantage of the school-sponsored trip.

“Every student should take advantage of the opportunity to experience [Europe] firsthand,” she said.

The school trip has become a Hoban summer tradition.